


Seventy-two Hours

by Kapnobatai



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Slight David/Gwen implied in the fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-07 00:58:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kapnobatai/pseuds/Kapnobatai
Summary: David was fully determined to keep his camp as safe and perfect as possible, especially after a visit from his mentor and idol, Mr. Campbell himself. However, there is one little problem: His most beloved camper, Max, is now missing.What seemed to be just another small issue turns into a desperate manhunt when Gwen receives a terrifying call: Cameron left his briefcase back at the camp and he has to return sooner than expected.All they have got now is three days to find the missing boy.





	1. The Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my first fic and my first work ever done on this website. I hope you enjoy it!

Dealing with a camp full of insufferable pre-pubescent children was no easy task, especially not when one of them swore to make your life miserable. Every single morning of this summer, such thought crossed David’s head. But never in his short history as a Campbell Counselor was he so happy and proud of his job.  
  
Ever since they met, the young adult knew that he had a special connection with Max, as if they were brothers. No matter how hard the young boy tried to make him suffer, David was sure about one thing: He had to make him experience the happiest summer of his life; it meant so much to him he even wrote it down on a wide piece of paper, then hanged it on the wall in front of his bed.  
  
“Max plus positivity equals success” A short, yet complicated equation.  
  
David infused his spirit with his never-ending cheerfulness, adjusted his camping shorts, and pushed the door open. Walking towards the Mess Hall, he found something that completely drew his attention.  
  
A yellow SUV, parked a bit far from the wooden building.  
  
His green eyes suddenly grew twice in size, and his mouth trembled. He was here, right now.  
  
Cameron Campbell once again was visiting his business, and he probably brought a lot of exciting memories and experiences.  
  
What an innocent, naive man, that guy David.  
  
Mr. Campbell was his childhood hero, after all, the counselor owed him his life after the now old man saved him from a certain death involving bears and a lost friend. David admired him more than anyone else in the world. A single “good job, son!” could make him smile for weeks. Gwen didn’t exaggerate her impersonation of David when she made the campers laugh by re-telling the day he got accepted for the position as a counselor. He jumped, he squealed, he even dared to hug Mr. Campbell, which was not a good idea when he felt a pair of strong arms pushing him away and sending him against a pile of crates.  
  
That man was the father he never had the opportunity to meet, after all.  
  
And whatever he said was the objective and unquestionable truth.  
  
For Gwen, Quartermaster, and everyone else basically, he was just a strange guy with a shady past and questionable ethics.  
Max and his two partners-in-crime, as he called them, were hanging out far away from the camp. Once again, Nikki’s thirst for adventure made them wander into the woods, which both Neil and Max took as a chance to relax and rest from the usual noise that plagued Camp Campbell. The comedy trio were awake early in the morning, the sound of a car engine put their sleeping to a halt. They realized the owner of this godforsaken place had returned from one of his many mishaps, and thus they (in fact, Max) decided to check up on him.  
  
However, things weren’t quite as nice as they seemed. Max stopped in his tracks, opening his mouth and furrowing his brows. Neil stared at him with curiosity and Nikki turned her head sideways, wondering what could have happened with her friend.  
  
“Shhh, I hear someone” The young hothead raised a finger to prevent his friends from distracting him. Indeed, some footsteps and a couple of voices suddenly approached them. Making a gesture with his hand, Max commanded his friends to hide with him. They had no trouble finding a good spot that could comfortably cover them.  
  
The trio’s eyes opened wide as they saw two men, around David’s age, wearing jackets and black beanies. They seemed to carry some heavy stuff in a pair of wide bags. They disappeared quickly, but Max made sure to follow them, he loved investigating.  
  
After a five-minute walk, the grumpy boy raised his hand to stop his friends from crashing into him. They found once again the two men, with their bags now open, placing what it seemed to be some brown “bricks” into the back row of the… Yellow SUV?  
  
The three children froze when they heard a familiar voice coming from the other side, just where they came from.  
  
“Alright men, I want this stuff delivered quickly, you know how bad things get when our clients don’t get their order in time” And there he was, Cameron Campbell. Even though he spoke with his usual tone, Max could tell he looked stressed and perhaps a bit angry.  
  
“Yes sir! What do we do with the car after we deliver this one?” One of the two men, a redhead, replied with a concerned face. He looked a bit like David, Max pointed out in his mind.  
  
“Bring it back here, and pretend nothing happened” Mr. Campbell turned to look for possible intruders, but he quickly resumed after finding no one. “After all, you are counselors as well, isn’t it right?” He chuckled briefly.  
“Of course, sir!” Both men opened their jackets to reveal the classical green shirt with the pine logo on it. They grinned in an unsettling way, which made Max shudder. “We are so getting this shit done!” The second man replied.  
  
“Careful with the language, boy” Campbell dismissed them with his hand. “In any case something comes up, I’ll be carrying my phone… Don’t forget I’ll get rid of this one on Saturday”  
  
Both men nodded and jumped into the car. After a few seconds, Max saw the yellow vehicle disappear in the middle of the woods, following a dirt trail.  
  
“Well kids, you can come out now!” Unexpectedly, a pair of big hands pulled the bushes away, revealing three frightened children with their backs on the floor. Neil let out a high-pitched scream while Nikki covered her body with both arms; Max decided to play hero and tried to grab the old man, just to be pushed against his friends.  
  
“What the fuck dude?!” He let out his favorite swear at the unimpressed man.  
  
“Language…” He raised a finger at Max.  
  
“Why the fuck do you care? You’re going to kill us!” The boy raised his arms in disbelief “Seriously you weirdo, you sound just like David!”  
  
“Well, that’s because good people usually make good use of their language” He quickly softened his expression. “Now, you can explain why were you spying on me aaand… your auxiliar counselors, of course!” Campbell laughed nervously.  
  
“Replacement…” Neil scratched his chin  
“Counselors?” Nikki finished the sentence with a childish curiosity  
  
“Yeah, don’t worry for David and Grace, these two work on different tasks” Campbell grabbed them, carrying the three children with no effort over his shoulders. Despite Max’s protests, he walked back into the main area of the camp, releasing the children in front of the Mess Hall.  
  
“M-M-Mr. Campbell?!” David jumped in excitement “W-what are you doing here, sir?”  
“Ohoho, well Davey, certainly not doing shady deals while hiding from the FBI, am I?”  
  
Everyone froze, staring at the old man with terrified expressions. The brawny man laughed while patting his knee.  
“I knew you would do that! Of course not, I’m just checking up on my dear campers!” He patted Space Kid’s back “Isn’t that right, Scuba Diving Boy?”  
  
“Uh, I’m Space Kid?” The boy quickly replied  
  
“Sure, whatever!”  
  
Gwen appeared from the entrance, rushing towards David’s side, even she was surprised this guy cared enough about the camp to come and visit from Thailand.  
  
“Boss? What are you doing here?” She pointed at him.  
  
Surprisingly, David cut her off  
  
“Well, GWEN, of course he loves Camp Campbell and everything it stands for” He replied with a bitter tone, like annoyed at her words, as if it was obvious he was this perfect man.  
She clenched her fists.  
  
“Isn’t that right, sir?”  
  
She hated the way he idolized that fool. Everything was in front of them, yet he still firmly believed that Campbell was the second coming of Jesus. It saddened her, to think a cheerful and kind man like David would bow down and let this motherfucker run all over him, he didn’t deserve that. Just the day before, he acted sweet and nice to her, doing extra chores so she could sleep earlier and get some rest. Living there was already hard, and the fact he would choose to sacrifice his own sleeping so she could relax said quite a lot.  
  
And now the same man erased all of it with a sentence.  
  
“You know, I’m taking care of the tents, I think they might be dirty” With this said, she escaped, hoping to avoid the ridiculous boot-licking attitude of her co-counselor.  
  
“That’s the spirit, I love my camp clean and tidy!” Campbell shouted, staring at his angry worker with a smug smile.  
“Now” He clapped, rubbing the palms of his hands with a wide grin. He loved how it quickly drew the attention of both children and David alike (not much of a difference between them). “Who wants to be a good child and go play in your tents?”  
  
“Gwen just said-“ Harrison was interrupted.  
“I don’t care what Grenda says, I’m the boss here and I get to say that you will have much more fun in your own tents!”  
  
“B-but about her...” Preston raised a finger.  
  
“Oh come on, Shakespeare boy!” He placed his hand on his fists “Don’t question my word, just tell her to clean them tomorrow, or something!”  
  
“The first generation of campers wasn’t as annoying and loud as this one, I swear” And that finally destroyed his reputation in front of the campers. Classic Cameron, he would never speak for himself, always shouting his thoughts, always sharing his “wisdom” with the world, no matter how offensive it was.  
  
“Maybe because we are no fucking sheep. Or maybe because modern democracy and the Internet brought power to the people?!” Max tried to contain his anger at the man who once destroyed his fun. He wanted to punch him, fuck the consequences.  
  
He wasn’t alone in his thoughts, as he turned around he saw the disgusted faces of his friends and fellow campers.  
  
And David, nodding and smiling.  
  
“P-please sir, excuse this poor behavior from the children, they don’t understand the importance of your presence here!” Max raised one eyebrow.  
  
Surely this piece of shit wasn’t pleading, was he?  
  
“Well, let’s not get ourselves caught in a silly argument. I am going to bed, it’s been a rather tough day”  
  
David’s face broke, as if he was punched in the stomach “B-but sir, why are you going to sleep so soon?”  
  
“Ah, young Davey, you will understand when you have a successful and busy life as mine” Campbell crossed his arms “You may understand that in my position I cannot give myself a decent rest. I have to work HARD! And there are times like these when I can finally relax”  
  
The counselor nodded, his eyes were glowing with admiration. He really wanted to be like Mr. Campbell one day.  
  
David didn’t realize he was alone when the short scene of Cameron calling him his son stopped playing in his mind. He turned around, just to see the children walking towards the tents.  
  
Quartermaster prepared the last meal of the day with inhuman speed, delivering the food at each tent. David and Gwen ate at their cabin, none of them said a word. The former understood he may have been a little rude with her, and the latter could explode at any time. She needed time to defuse herself, otherwise she would hit him again with his guitar.  
  
By ten o’ clock, every camper was asleep, each one busy in their own fantasies.  
Except for one. Max turned towards Neil, whispering a weak "Thanks" before quietly leaving the tent. He stared at Nikki and Ered's tent, waving goodbye from his pocket.  
“...”  
  


Not even ten minutes later, another figure emerged from the front door of the Mess Hall. Cameron walked towards the camp's car. His mind was focused on the delivery, he had to make sure his men arrived in due time, and that the package was safe. He started the engine, and turned on the radio. Jazz station, his favorite. As the seconds passed, the painful screech of tires grinding against dirt died out, echoing in the distant trees.


	2. Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the lack of updates, I had a very busy week. But now here it is, the second chapter of the story!  
> I hope you like it, I placed some feelings into this one.

The painful scream from Tent No. 4 awoke the entire camp half an hour before the usual schedule began. Everyone either jumped or joined in on the screaming; nobody understood what happened, except for a teal-haired girl.  
She immediately recognized Neil’s distressed voice. She had no idea she would treasure the comfort of her cot for the remaining day.  
  
Gwen was already dressing inside the counselor’s bathroom, David doing the same inside their cabin. Part of the basic training consisted of improving their reflexes and reaction time in case an emergency happened, and judging by the volume in Neil’s voice, they quickly dashed towards the tents.  
  
They saw as every camper surrounded Neil, well, all except for one. The redhead’s favorite was not in sight. David would not have to wonder that much for an answer.  
  
“I... I don’t know, he just, disappeared!” The poor boy was having a mental breakdown, his eyes were unfocused, trying to stare at every place possible, looking in desperation for his partner, and best friend.  
Gwen suddenly realized the situation, her mouth released a dry gasp.  
  
“Fuck!” Her words connected with David’s brain, and his smile faded.  
  
“Oh God, oh God!” Gwen held her face with her hands “This can’t be happening...”  
  
“...Not again, this is Chucky’s incident all over again!” She shut her eyes, trying to deny what had took place in the camp. The boss saved their asses back in the day, but his patience had a limit, and if he caught wind of this, she could kiss her freedom goodbye. She would have to move back with her parents, again.  
  
Not to mention the incoming legal mess that the boy’s parents will start the moment Campbell tells them about what happened to their son. “Hey guess what, your son is now missing” Gwen played the sentence in her head, adding the usual nervous laugh her boss used to make whenever he got caught in a terrible situation. He’d likely escape towards Thailand or whatever-the-fuckistan and leave the burden of responsibility on both counselors.  
  
No. They have to look for Max, they were adults, functioning adults! Gwen tried to lift her spirits. No activities for today, everyone was going to help in the search for a boy who probably tried to pull another “heroic escape” stunt. Her attempts to be positive were suddenly shattered, by none other than Nikki  
  
As soon as Neil told her, the girl fell down on her knees. Her breathing paused.  
  
God, no.  
  
David was impressed at how much did those two care. They talked to each other, reassuring themselves that everything was fine, that things were going to get normal later. They would find Max, and laugh, and congratulate him for his newest prank and call it a day, right?  
  
“...Jesus Christ, how many times, Max?” Gwen muttered, then cursing the boy for being so impulsive.  
  
“A-alright, today’s schedule is cancelled, we have more important issues” She yelled on top of her lungs, catching everyone’s attention.  
“We are going to search for Max, and we are not fucking doing anything else until we find him!”  
David regained his composure, smiling at his co-counselor.  
“Everyone, we are going to make groups. Each group will look for him in different places, then return to these tents and share their results”  
  
“...And if we haven’t found him by 7:00 PM...” David added. Gwen stared at him in fear.  
“...Then we will rest and resume tomorrow”  
  
She approached him, pulling one of his ears closer.  
  
“David, what the fuck are you-“ She was cut.  
  
“Gwen, you know there’s the possibility we don’t find him on the first try.” He sternly replied. “I wish to find him today as much as you do, but...”  
  
“Hm?” Her eyes pierced into his, begging him to stop. She already knew what he was about to say.  
  
“But there is the chance he finally escaped” His mouth was neutral at this point, he found no motivation to smile.  
  
“And if he did, we must take in mind he could have escaped many hours ago”  
  
  
  
The soft hum of the engine in the distance woke him up. A pair of emerald eyes fixated right into the clear window, as the sun greeted him. He now remembered, he jumped inside the trunk the very moment the car was about to leave.  
The sound of jazz immediately caught his attention, as well as the voice singing along.

How many hours have passed?

Max checked on his watch, 7:28 AM.

  
Was he already in the city?  
The boy pulled out a worn down bear from his hoodie. At least he had Mr. Honeynuts, his only comfort in hard times.  
He turned again to face the back window of the blue vehicle, when something caught his attention.  
“I can't fucking believe this!” He simply whispered.  
  
The car has not left that old-fashioned town. Camp Campbell was only thirty minutes away from them. That bastard probably stayed at some motel in this godforsaken place.  
The buzzing sound of a cellphone drew the boy’s attention. The background music died down and a familiar voice took its place.  
  
“Can you at least say ‘good morning’?”  
  
Max heard a second voice, like a male in his twenties. It was familiar, was it one of the guys from yesterday?  
He cursed his luck, he couldn’t understand a single word from the phone, it was probably a shitty, cheap burner phone he got from some questionable place.  
  
“Uh huh, I see... Did my package arrive in time?”

Cameron seemed pleased at the answer. All that Max heard was gibberish. Fucking cheap phones.  
  
“Next one comes on Sunday, I got some in this car, but I have to hide it before-” The old man combed his hair with one hand, then pinching the bridge of his nose.  
  
“Damn! For how long?” He asked in a less relaxed demeanor.  
  
“Did you lose them?”

Max could finally hear a sentence.  
  
“Y-yeah boss, but...”  
  
“But what?” Campbell’s eyes were now wide in anger. “Do you have any idea how much did that damned SUV cost me?!”  
  
“Yes, sir. They almost got us at a roadblock” The voice paused for a second  
  
“B-but I-I promise everything’s f-fine!”  
  
“I am sure it is” Campbell pulled a gun out from his right pants pocket “Otherwise, you know the consequences, right?” He placed the gun over the seat next to his.  
  
“O-of course sir!”  
  
“Right, I gotta go, call you at noon” Campbell pressed the button on the phone, and turned up the volume inside the car. He turned to look at the mirror, as he caught a glimpse of a suspicious black spot.  
  
Max hid once again, he could not give credit to his eyes. Even though he found it obvious that a man like Cameron Campbell would never go unarmed, he still shivered at the mere idea of him using a gun against another person. Just one second, and somebody is no more. Boom, death.  
  
He covered himself once again with a dirty blanket. The once white fabric was now full of brown and yellow spots. He hoped the car would reach the city soon.  
  
Nikki would come in handy with her mood-lifting attitude, and Neil would have devised a good plan. He sighed, and slowly closed his eyes, hoping the next time he opened them, he would find his chance to reach home.  
And now the absence of his two friends weighed on him. He could not sleep any more.  
  
  
  
Back at Camp Campbell, nobody had success.  
Noon came by, and both counselors decided it was best to stop and pause for lunch. Ered and Dolph looked for Max around the lake, with no results other than bothering a platypus, which in turn bit the German boy in the hand. Harrison, Preston and Nerris looked for the boy towards the East, finding themselves against the barbed wire fence, property of the Woodscouts. They knew Max would never join them, so they turned back.  
Nurf and Space Kid took the opposite direction, West, but they reached the Flowerscout camp. However, they filled their bellies with some cookies before returning to Camp Campbell.  
Neil and Nikki were a special case. They did not want to eat, not until they could at least get an idea of their friend’s whereabouts. David had to force them to get back in the Mess Hall and eat some food, explaining that it would give them more energy so they could find Max.  
He was partially right. While the rest of the campers were resting on some logs, the comedy duo were eating without pauses. They silently stuffed their mouths, with their minds distant away, coming up with ideas, theories and scenarios.  
Gwen felt bad for them, she had never seen them like this before.  


  
  
Max thanked God when the car suddenly stopped. He needed to eat. Campbell slammed the car door, giving the boy five seconds to wait until things were safe for him. His stomach gave out a loud protest, and the Indian boy prepared himself. Slowly, he opened the trunk door just enough for him to exit the vehicle. He left Mr. Honeynuts inside, patting the stuffed bear as if he was alive. In his mind, he was.  
His eyes meet a small resting place, a small building that served as a gas station, mini-market, hotel and restaurant. He pulled out the remaining money from his pockets, he had enough for two days, that is, if he chose to eat only sandwiches.  
He resigned to his new diet, and walked towards the front door, careful not to catch Campbell’s attention. He quickly greeted the cashier, handed out the money, and claimed his sandwich.  
Max turned to see Campbell eating a more formal lunch in a distant table. He turned around, praying the old man was forgetful enough not to recognize him.  
He quickly finished his small meal and sprinted back towards the blue car. The boy opened the door and jumped inside, greeting his prized companion once again.  
  
So far, the plan was working. The only issue was that he did not remember the road being like this. A small fear crept upon his mind. He shrugged it off, must have been his imagination.  
All he knew was that the city was probably a few hours worth of travel from this place, and he would finally come back home. He would think about how to deal with his parents later.  
  
Ten minutes later, the car door once again slammed, and the engine roared, signaling for departure.  
  
Cameron Campbell picked up the cellphone, dialing his men. The old man engaged in a long conversation, revealing his intentions to leave the state and get rid of the car. After all, he would explain to his counselors that he loved the camp so much he spent some money getting a new one.  
But Max was already asleep.  


  
The afternoon was another endless cycle of try and fail. This time every team swapped places, changed their routes and used some old walkie-talkies Quartermaster found in his cabin.  
Neil and Nikki rushed towards Spooky Island without telling anyone. They had this feeling they would find Max there, probably treasure hunting. If it turned out to be true, they would punish their friend, probably by stealing his bear or not helping with his pranks.  
Oddly enough, they did not find that strange boy from the last time they visited this hell of a place. They ignored that, and focused on finding Max.  
  
Darkness arrived, and with it the end of Camp Campbell’s expedition. Gwen and David wished they could search for the boy a little longer but the tired faces of the rest of the children made them stop. They could not leave their needs unattended, and decent sleep was a priority.  
This time, Nikki and Neil did not eat, not even when David tried to intervene. A harsh response from both was enough for Gwen to understand they were not in the mood for dinner, and she pulled David back into the Mess Hall. Nikki left her tent and moved her belongings into Neil’s, they probably were going to discuss all night how to find Max.  
  
After making place for Nikki, both children sat outside, contemplating the appearing stars.  
“Neil, where do you think he is?” The girl asked, expecting something intelligent and very detailed from her favorite nerd.  
“I...” He paused. He had read her mind, but unfortunately he could not come up with anything.  
“I don’t know” He did not want to release this sentence. Not this one, anything but this one. He’d rather tell a joke; maybe some improvised answer. Fuck, he’d even stay silent and say nothing, but he had to admit they made absolutely no progress. His beating heart echoed in his head every time he repeated those three words in his brain.  
Absolutely. Zero. Progress.  
  
His train of thought was interrupted by a strange chuckle. He turned around to see Nikki biting her lower lip, containing an indescribable anger, a painful sorrow.  
“Nobody knows” She sobbed. Neil saw the incoming avalanche, the broken dam releasing its first cascade of cold water.  
“We... we won’t find him” And with this said, she lunged towards Neil’s arms, letting her bottled emotions come out without any restriction. Every sob, every damn cry was undermining his confidence. It was an inner scream, for both of them to understand this was real life and not some cartoon where things got solved fast. The picture of Max injured, or even dead slammed their heads like a hammer, both were processing every possible bad outcome.  
And what if a bear had found its newest meal?  
And what if he fell into a pit, or a river? What if he drowned?  
What if he found some depraved human being that took his life?  
  
Neil’s arms were starting to get numb, his skin felt as if it was absorbing the cold from the air and pumping it inside his veins. His legs trembled.  
But he could not. He had to be strong, for Nikki, for David, for everyone. He tried to focus his brain on important and objective facts, not feelings.

It was his specialty, to hide his feelings. Many years of dealing with two angry parents always yelling at each other, always using him as a “trophy” instead of the person he was. The negative ambient in his home, even after the divorce was no issue to him, he simply focused on his grades and his promising future as an engineer or a researcher.  
  
But this, this was a new sensation. He never felt so defeated, so helpless, so hopeless.  
He did not want to admit he cared about Max and Nikki more than he did about his parents. Probably because the former loved him the way he was, instead of competing for his love. They did not see him as a prize to earn with money or gadgets, but as a living being that had interesting things to say.  
  
Nikki was a different story, always treated like she was younger. She knew her life revolved around being childish, but she was not stupid. Her parents always came up with excuses, just to cover their cheating behavior to each other, and to their daughter. Why did everyone want to hide the real world for her, it only hurt more once she found out that pain and sorrow exist.  
  
And it hit her hard, when she understood the time for childish comments and innocent ideas was over. Right now, it was time for her to come up with a sense of maturity she never had, because her parents shielded her from every single negative emotion.  
Like breaking an apparently hard egg, once the shell is done, the rest is fragile and soft.  
  
Neil and Nikki were now tightly hugging each other, pretending an invisible Max was at the same time hugging them both, whispering that he was back, and that he would never leave their side again.  
  
Their moment came to a halt when the rest of the campers joined in, ready to go into their tents. Both walked inside theirs, releasing their embrace.  
  
That night, no one slept at Camp Campbell.  
  
Twenty-four hours have passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed it, I am going to try and update more frequently, but I cannot promise anything. Have a good day!


	3. Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'd like to apologize because I have not updated weekly, as I tried to promise. I have had a very busy month, and I was not fully satisfied with my results, rewriting this chapter over and over. So please, excuse my lack of activity, I hope I can publish next chapter in a shorter time.

Gwen and David were horrified. The absence of their most infamous camper took a heavy toll on the entire camp. By 6:00 AM and out of options, they decided to wake up the children. To their surprise, everyone was fully awake. Even Nerris, who was known for being a heavy sleeper, was sitting on her cot.  
Both counselors quietly talked to each other. They had no idea Max had such an effect on the entire camp. At this point he could be already at home. At this point he could be already dead.

  
David disregarded the idea.

He was the optimistic, positive guy.  
He could not give up and let his inner anxiety reign all over his psyche, who else could gather the strength to inspire people?  
Certainly not his partner. Gwen already was painting complicated scenarios in her head, drawing terrible conclusions, murdering Max in a dozen ways, all of them explicit and painful. She knew this was their fault, she knew the consequences would be worse this time. Chucky was one example.  
The fact that his parents were so “understanding” and “nice” not to make things complicated and worse, was a relief for everyone. But neither of them knew how would Max’s parents react.

  
David inhaled deeply. He wanted to greet them all with a huge grin, and a warm hug, to turn back into his usual self and annoy his campers, despite their protests. He wished for Max to be there, telling him to "fuck off and die".  
Hell, he would even love to be punched right now by him, he missed the constant negative remarks on the world and his never-ending hatred for camping and nature.  
His best friends were in an even worse condition, lacking their usual drive for adventure and schemes. Much like a contagious disease, their depressed state had spread to the rest of the kids. After all, they needed Max in their lives, someone who went straight to the point and never hesitated to state their opinion, no matter how hard it could be.

  
Every camper had left their usual activities apart, and now they were talking about how could they find their missing friend.  
“Friend...” David repeated the word, trying to believe that two random campers would say that about someone who never considered others his friends, only treating people as either partners or enemies.  
“David, they are still children” Gwen emphasized on the last part.

Bingo, she had read his mind as if he had his reflections written all over his face. What an impressive girl, David thought, she could easily find out what he was thinking about.  
Space Kid approached both young adults.  
“I think we should call someone” His voice was devoid of his usual childishness. A cold, unfamiliar stress had gained control of him, he was very concerned about Max's whereabouts.

  
Gwen immediately rushed to yell a negative answer at the aspiring astronaut, but David quickly held her in his arms.  
“Sorry, uh, Space Kid...” He paused, staring at his co-counselor in a stern fashion. “But we cannot do that, we might create a bigger problem”  
“But don’t you see?!” Dolph jumped in anger “Zere is a missing camper! Wir cannot risk his life!”

  
Ered joined him, crossing her arms in defiance.  
“Dude, what else can we do here? We lost him!”

  
A small gathering had formed around the counselors, all of the children stared at them in a mixture of confusion, desperation and annoyance. Their voices formed a chorus of demands, questions, and accusations. Gwen tried to calmly extinguish the angry mob, but they doubled down on their efforts. Nobody had noticed that David was getting red, and fast.

  
“Guys”

  
“It’s all your fault!”

  
“P-please, campers”

  
“What are we supposed to do?”

  
“Children, I...”

  
“Don't you care about him?”

  
“We didn’t FUCKING lose anyone!” David yelled at the top of his lungs, closing his eyes for a brief moment in order to calm down. When he opened them, his own mouth let out a gasp.  
Everyone, including Gwen, had froze in fear. For the first time in his career as a Campbell Counselor, he had exploded in rage. He placed his hands inside his pockets, staring at the distance in regret.  
With a long sigh, David let his mind quickly look for a decent sentence in this situation.  
“Sorry, children, but please understand that this is quite hard for us” He turned to look at Gwen, who returned a hopeless frown.

  
“Well, both of us”

  
“Look, I know how much we all want to have Max back, but we can’t lose our minds.” He stared now at Neil and Nikki, whose eyes pleaded him to give them a better answer.

  
“The truth is, we are just as clueless as you are. We are trying our best to come up with an idea, but we need you to cooperate. This is a big family, and we have to act as one!”

  
He sported a genuine smile at them, trying to cheer them up. Gwen was flustered; how great he looked when he sported one of those. It showed his more mature side. The love he showed for his “kiddos” was no joke, he really considered the campers under his care to be some sort of siblings or children.  
Even Scotty, who was in a terrible mood, silently thanked David for his effort.  
  
  
  
The sound of an opening door woke Max up. The young troublemaker was caught startled by a pair of strong hands, which pulled down his cover, exposing the intruder to a blurry figure.  
“Well, well, if it isn’t our young Michael!” The old, familiar voice killed his fear, replacing it with anger. A familiar feeling.  
“Well, even if it sounds cool, my name's not fucking Michael” His answer surprised Campbell  
“What?”  
“N-nothing, I just like that name.” Max rolled his eyes, and prepared a short improvisation of an answer. Preston could be of help right now, that idiot really found his way with words.  
“Okay, you caught me” He stared down in embarrassment. His plan was a failure, and he had no idea where they were right now.

  
“So, w-what?” The little boy crossed his arms, hoping for the worst. The man in front of him was a criminal, and who knows what kind of twisted shit weighed on him.

  
“I don’t know, you tell me” Cameron pointed a finger at him, shrugging off the boy’s challenging demeanor.  
Max was taken by surprise.  
“Seriously? Fucking nothing?” His disbelief took control of his mouth “Aren’t you going to fucking yell at me?”  
Campbell let out a small chuckle. Max got angrier.  
“Really, you just caught me trying to get out of that shithole of a camp and you don't say anything?!” He threw his arms in front of him.

  
“Aside from your awful display of a language” Disappointment filled the air between both.  
“I must say you are right, I haven’t invested any serious money there in… What? Years?” He tapped his chin, trying to set a date between ten or fifteen years ago.  
“Maybe just some paint and critical stuff, but the plumbing is still in terrible conditions...”  
“Our food is cheap...”  
“That old TV at the counselors’ cabin...”  
“You know what? Nothing has changed that much since the 90’s”  
  
Max could not believe someone would take the freedom to speak in such a way, not in front of others. He had never met such a shameless person before.  
  
“But this is not time to chitchat” He pulled the boy out of the trunk, pointing at the back row of the car  
“Looks like I’ll have to get you back to the camp!” Max perceived that stupid, unrealistic happiness of David now emanating from this man. Just how much had the counselor learned from him?  
“Also, because I left something important back there!” Campbell took out his phone, dialing his loyal employee, David.

  
The car turned around, making its way towards Camp Campbell, once again.  
  
  
The call felt like a bucket of cold water falling over David, followed by a car hitting him at full speed.  
Gwen was in full panic mode.  
“Let’s throw it in the water, Da-“ She was interrupted by his sudden response.  
“Mister, uh, Campbell!?” He pulled the neck of his shirt, trying to get some extra space for his throat.  
“W-what happened now?” His shiny eyes were now wide open, searching for an escape route. He couldn’t focus on anything.  
Suddenly, David let out a relaxed sigh, and Gwen understood they still had the chance to survive, for a few more hours.  
“What is he saying?” She let out a comical mixture of a whisper and a rushed yell, moving her mouth in an exaggerated fashion.  
David turned to gesture his partner to let him listen, pointing at the cabin. His mouth? It gave only one word  
“Briefcase” She got his message, and nodding, she let her last signs of anxiety fade into thin air.  
  
  
Cameron was laughing, he turned the volume to the max, which allowed the boy to listen to the entire conversation. He felt uneasy, on the one hand, he got to see David to suffer in a non-threatening way; on the other hand, he knew he was the culprit, the reason for all of this nonsense. Not to mention his disbelief at how this man would turn a serious event into an irrelevant prank.  
“Boy, check this out!” Campbell removed his hand from the microphone, clearing his throat in order to give a serious impression.  
“Well, Davey, anything else you mind telling me?”  
“NO!” Both heard a loud noise, probably David brushing his hand clumsily against the microphone.  
“I mean, the usual stuff, Gwen dealing with our nice campers, Quartermaster is probably preparing lunch- er, breakfast?”  
Eleven in the morning sounded a bit too late for breakfast. Max covered his stomach, before his companion could hear the loud grumble.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Absolutely sir, I can guarantee you can stay safe in... Uh, Russia?”  
Cameron spotted a big grin, he was ecstatic tasting the desperation coming from the other side of the phone.  
“Wrong, ‘cause I’m going back to the camp!”

  
Despite the silence, Max could hear the agonic screams of both counselors in his mind. Nobody let a single word out for what it felt like an eternity. Every second turned into a full minute.  
  
  
Gwen’s anxiety returned with double intensity. The way David’s confident face dropped said everything. She snatched the phone in a quick hurry.  
“Uh, hello sir?”  
“Gina! Nice to see you are working hard as well!” She mentally cursed at her own boss.  
“H-hello boss, David just uh… tripped and fell down!” What an awful excuse  
“So I am here, what do you need?”  
  
“Oh, nothing! I just told Davey I am going back to the camp, I left my briefcase there and I really need it”  
She knew she had to hide her reaction better than her partner’s.  
“That is really... nice!” She turned to look at David, only to find him desperately clutching his hair.  
Jesus, what a terrible decision. Her voice was giving up right there.  
“I mean, sure it’d be great to have you here, sir!” She prayed like she had never in her life for an accident to happen to him, they needed those extra days.  
After a quick exchange of “sure”, “mhm” and “yes, sir” she finally ended the call.  
“We are so fucked up”  
  
  
  
“Wow, they are so fucked up!” Max pointed at Campbell. The small amount of delight he felt while hearing both counselors coming up with a pathetic attempt of a conversation was replaced with an unsettling discomfort he only felt back when David told him how much he cared about the Camp.  
“And you have seen nothing, kiddo” The old man stepped on the pedal.  
“You know why I do this?” He asked, with a less friendly tone.  
“They need to be put in place, to be reminded about who makes the rules here”  
Max gasped at the sudden grim tone in Campbell’s voice.  
“You don’t get the best for this job, you know.” He paused, moving his head sideways “Nobody would actually put their heart into being a simple counselor”  
“These are rejects, either people who didn’t actively sign up for this, like Gwen, or people who have no other chance in their lives, like David”  
“What else can you get from two incompetent people?” Cameron stared at the mirror, locking his gaze with Max’s.  
“One of them has two terrible degrees and the other one didn’t even go to college” His words hurt Max.  
For once he was angry at some insults directed towards someone other than him. He wished he could force that bastard to watch the many times both counselors have tried their best to keep that hell of a camp afloat. Instead, he allowed the man to continue.  
“Look kid, they let you go. There’s nothing else to say about their performance” He pointed at his reflection.  
“Y’know, that such poor results should be enough to let them go without an explanation?”  
“What if you were dead?”  
Max flinched. He was caught, and he had no comebacks left in his bag of tricks.  
“Did you for once stop and think about the consequences of your actions?”  
  
“Fucking hell, you are just like my paren-“ Max’s furiously barked, but he was interrupted before he could finish.  
  
“I am just like any other responsible human being right now.” Cameron added.  
“I cannot punish you the way I’d like to, because that’s something your parents should do.”  
“But, I can punish them.” He patted the cellphone, now lying on the seat besides him.  
“For now, I’ll keep playing pretend.” He moved the stick shift.  
“Fear is the best way to guarantee yourself some honest loyalty, always remember that.”  
Suddenly, Max got hit in the face with a hard object. Before he could protest, he found out a delicious chocolate bar lying on his lap.  
“And, please make sure you eat that. I cannot handle driving for hours with that beautiful symphony coming from your stomach” He remarked.  
  
  
Neil was pacing back and forth inside his and Nikki’s tent. Both campers were very stressed, longing for the return of their friend. They knew waiting was not a solution. They had to follow him, even if it meant disappearing as well. If they were lucky, they could find him in the area, perhaps he got abducted by any of the rival camps. He had quite a story with the Woodscouts, and despite his lack of contact with the Flowerscouts, he could be there.  
A bunch of messy scribbles and loose ideas filled the small blackboard in front of them. It was already dark, and they had no clue about what happened. At least his teddy bear was nowhere in sight, which meant he was prepared to definitely leave Camp Campbell.

  
He wasn’t stupid (maybe a little, for Neil), he would have probably ran first towards the town, if he wasn’t kidnapped. There he would get some supplies before finally leaving for the city, which was only a few hours away.  
Both agreed, they had to find him there. Nikki quickly came up with a short draft of their potential route.  
They would first fight their way through the Woodscouts, then they could politely ask the Flowerscouts about him. If he wasn’t there, they would go straight to Sleepy Peak.  
The girl left for the Mess Hall, returning to the tent in less than five minutes.  
She carried some food she stole from the kitchen, placing it in their backpacks. They turned to see Max’s bag discarded near a corner. Checking for the contents, they found a small pocket knife, chewing gum, and what it seemed an improvised lock pick made out of a short strand of coil.  
He must have been in a rush if he didn’t carry his belongings with him.  
Why didn’t he wait for them, though?  
Neil stopped in his tracks. Did Max not trust him enough to tell him about his upcoming plan?  
He was infuriated, offended, and humiliated. His fists were tightly clutched. His best friend, or so called “best friend” never trusted him in the first place. The nerdy boy cursed him under his breath. He shook his head, trying to come up with an excuse, Max was better than this. He knew these two were his partners-in-crime, they would never question him as long as his plan was solid.  
  
Nikki moved closer to him. She let her hand rest on his shoulder, softly calling him, so he would turn around and look at her. His eyes were piercing into hers, she wondered if she was actually staring at some gun.  
  
“He… He fucking bailed on us!” Neil spat, uncaringly poisoning his words. Never has Nikki heard him speaking in such a discomforting tone.  
“He betrayed us!” He shoved her hand aside. “We… we were so damn loyal, always with him, and look at what he does!”  
He threw his hands in the air, scaring the girl even more.  
“I can’t…  think I fell for this friendship bullshit he came up with”  
She took an unexpected hit. Was he seriously questioning their relationship?  
“N-Neil, come on…” She walked closer, trying to calm him down.  
He instead took the gesture in denial. She was probably going to defend him. It angered him more.  
“Oh my fucking God, now what?!”  
“Now are you trying to come up with an excuse for him?” He pointed an accusing finger at her.  
“What?!” Nikki exclaimed. “Jesus Christ, Neil!”  
The girl was disgusted, she could not believe the stability of their friendship was put in danger just because Max decided to leave. Surely, she did not approve of his lack of communication, but they always knew that deep inside, the angry boy treasured freedom.  
“Look at yourself! You’re barely recognizable!”  
He opened his eyes in shock, how dared she!  
“Me!? Fucking me?!” He looked as if he was ready to lunge at Nikki  
“Oh right, of course he’s your fucking boyfriend so you have to support him!” He roared.  
She fully took the blow. Neil went really low this time.  
“Shut the fuck up!” She screamed. He flinched, not prepared to see her in such a threatening way.  
He was reminded who was the strongest one of the duo. She placed her hands on his shoulders, sealing the contact with a firm grip.  
“What’s wrong with you?” Tears appeared in her eyes. “Max disappeared, don’t you remember?”  
“You’d think I’m happy he’s not here with us?!” Right now she was mere inches apart from him.  
“I thought you were better than this, Neil” She pushed him, sending him across the tent.  
“I miss him, you miss him, too, and… I can’t believe you are acting like this” She let herself fall on her cot, staring at the floor. If she kept seeing his frame, she would have probably slapped him, or even worse.  
She knew she was no longer forced to display her tougher side. Her sobs escaped from her like a breaking dam, at first a few ones invaded the tent, then increasing in frequency and volume. She held a hand against her mouth.  
Neil raised a hand, trying to convey her attention. He resigned after noticing how hurt she was, he already sparked some flames, there was no need to keep the fire burning.  
He sighed.  
“…Nikki…”  
“Please, stop.” She ordered. She lied down on her cot, turning around so they could not see each other’s face.  
He stared at her for fifteen minutes straight, eating himself in regret over their stupid fight. No, she was not stupid, she did not start this. It was him, once again at fault. His mind replayed the day they tried to perform a magic trick, just so he could finally win over Harrison’s argument. He was also obsessed with his own gain, even if it meant hurting his only friends. He rightfully ignored Max and Nikki, pretending he cared about them only when they were useful.  
And by the last minute, he realized he could have killed her. The only way he stopped such tragedy from happening was to let the magician boy win, and to smash his inflated ego.  
It seemed he had to do the same if he wanted to save face with his only remaining friend. He tried to come up with a carefully thought speech, long yet concise. Instead, he aimed for the most pathetic option.  
“…I’m sorry…” He trembled. His voice now sounded weak and full of insecurity.  
But she did not answer.  
Defeated and devastated, he mimicked her moves and rested on his cot, staring at the dirty fabric of the tent. In no time, his eyes gave up, and his mind drifted off to another place.  
  
Fourty-eight hours have passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I aimed for more feels and a some drama. I love how the main trio has been developed throughout the show. These characters are my favorite to write because each one is unique in their own way. Next chapter will be more focused on Campbell and Max, so most of this one was centered on Neil and Nikki.  
> As always, thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda liked the idea. There's so much potential to explore with Campbell, I wanted to write a fic involving him. Thanks for reading!


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